Krishna Kills the Demons and Our Material Desires

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HARE KRISHNA SUNDAY SCHOOL

International Society {OJ· Krishna Consciousness Founder ,t\chaf):a: His Divln~ Grace ~.\. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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Krishna Kills the DeDlons and

Our Material Desires Compiled by:

Tapasvini devi dasi Visnu das

Artwork by: Krsna vesa devi dasi

HARE KRISHNA SUNDAY SCHOOL International Society for Krishna Consciousness

Founder Acharya: His Divine Grace A C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Contents

Killing Bakasura 3

2. Killil1g I\ghasura 9

~ KilliJlg Vyomasura 16

4. Killing the Keshi Demon 24

5, Swallowing the Forest Fire 34

(), The Deliverance of Manigriva 40 and Nc.llakuvara

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Introduction Krishlla appeared in this \v'orld 5000 years ago in

Vrindu\/an, India. He performed many pastimes during His stay ()11 earth. Krishna had one evil uncle named Kamsa who \vas very' ITILICh afraid of Him. It had been predicted that the child Krishna \vould kill Kamsa. Kamsa knew this and so he \vas ~lI\va)'s trying to have Krishna killed. Can you imagine someone Sl> cruel as to \vant to kill a baby or child?

Kamsa sent many demons to Vrindavan to kill Krishna (llld I-~ is friends. There are many stories about these demons and ()ther pastitnes of Krishna in the 10th Canto of Srimad t~llagavataln and in the Krishna Book. The demons in Krishna­',Ia are real and Krishna actually killed them. But our acharyas have explained that these demons also symbolize different Jl111teriu.l des ires that we have.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, one of our main acharyas, has e.xplained in his book, Sri Caitanya Siksamrta, that these demons represellt obstacles that come in our way when we are rerfOrll1ing devotional service. These are the material desires that force us to act improperly. Acting improperly means acting in a way that does not please Krishna. In order to become pure and return to the spiritual world, we must become free from Inaterial desires.

Krishna killed so many demons in Vrindavan and, silnilarly, He can also kill, or remove, our material desires.

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When these desires are removed, we can serve Krishna very nice)y and become pure enough to go back to Godhead.

Tn this course, we will take a look at a few of the demons WilO challenged Krishna. We will learn what obstacles these detTIons represent and how we can correct our ·behavior to get rid ()f these obstacles.

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Lesson 1 Killing Bakasura

A. The Story Krishna and all the cowherd boys would go to the banks

of the Yamuna River every day to water their calves. One day, after the cowherd boys and calves drank water from the river, they started playing along the bank. Suddenly they saw a huge animal. It looked like a duck and was as big as a hill. The beast seemed as strong as a thunderbolt, and the boys became afraid. The name of this demon was Bakasura.

Quickly, Bakasura attacked Krishna with his sharp, pointed beak ~d swallowed Him up. But the glow from Krishna's body was so hot that the demon immediately spit Krishna out. Bakasura tried to kill Krishna by pinching Him between his beaks, but Krishna got away.

Krishna then grabbed the two beaks of the duck-like demon, and in front of His cowherd boyfriends, Krishna pulled them apart as easily as a child splits a blade ofgrass..

When the demon was dead, flowers fell from the sky, and bugles, drums, and conchshells sounded from the heavens.

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B. What Bakasura represents The demon Bakasura represents dishonesty, duplicity, and

false behavior. As Krishna killed Bakasura, He can also help us root out our bad habit ofdishonesty.

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c. Dishonesty To be honest means to tell the truth all the time. All the

time -- not only when it is convenient. If we do something wrong, it is better to admit it and tell the truth than to lie about it. We may be able to hide it from others but we can't hide it from Krishna. Krishna is sitting right in our heart as Pararnatma, a witness to all our activities. He knows everything and we will have to suffer a reaction for whatever we did. But if we lie, we will have to suffer a reaction for lying, also. Ifwe do our best to act properly, we won't feel like we have to lie about our actions.

Can you think of some incidents when you told lies? Write about a time when you were tempted to tell a lie. Why would it have been better to tell the truth?

c. Let's take a look at some situations that may challenge our honesty.

Ifyou did something you weren't supposed to do at home and your parents found out, would you admit it or lie about it so you don't get punished?

When you go to a movie or to an amusement park and the admission fee is lower for younger children, would you lie about your age so you could save a few dollars?

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If you bought something at the store and the clerk gave you back too much change, would you return the extra money or keep it?

Suppose you and your friends did something you know you shouldn't have done? The grownups found out and mistakenly blamed another child who is also your friend. Your friend will be severely punished for what you did. The only way to save your friend is to admit your mistake. What would you do? Why is this a difficult situation?

In all these examples, what would be the most honest action?

So, sometimes people lie; otherwise, they may have to face som.e punishment. People may lie to get something material or to save money. But we will never gain anything spiritually by dishonest behavior and one lie will usually lead to another.. "You can fool some of the people all the time, and you can fool all of the people some of the time - but you can never fool Krishna."

The earth bears so many burdens. She has heavy mountains resting on her. Millions ofpeople walk on her daily. Billions of animals tread on her soil. Giant skyscrapers, trains, and trucks weigh heavily on Mother Earth. In the scriptures, she says she bears these burdens happily, but there is one burden she cannot bear. She cannot bear the burden of a liar.

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Mother Earth's Poem

As Mother Earth, I carry high each heavy mountain range. r do not grunt, or even sigh­for me it's not a strain.

A million streams, and rivers, too, just splash allover me.

r carry curling waves of blue, I hold the heavy sea!

I nurse all creatures, great and small. For me it is not toil.

I send the strength of rice and cial to mankind through my soil.

I'm baked when men make earthen pots, rm stompe"d by dancing feet.

I tolerate the parking lots, I stay beneath your street.

I really don't mind big hotels, or airplanes full of freight.

But when one human being tells a lie--he's too much weight.

A liar does not show concern for people he's around

To get his way is all he's learned And ugh! That weighs me down!

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There is a saying, "For one \vho never lies, everything he say'S \\"1 II becolne truth." What do you think that means?

A devotee is very truthful. By not telling lies we can be honest people, but better than that is telling the real truth. Krishna is the Absolute Truth. The best "truth" we can tell people is that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead 'lnd \ve are His servants. Most people think that they are their l1()dy. We know the truth--that we are the soul, not the body. By tell ing others about this truth we can free th'em from material lite.

D. Deceptive Behavior The demon Bakasura also symbolized false, or deceptive

behavior. Deception means to make a person believe what is not true. It means deliberately trying to trick someone into believing s()mething talse. Putana tried to fool Krishna so she could snatch Him away and kill Him. Pralambasura pretended he was ~l cowherd boy so he could carry Balarama away and kill Him. Krishna wasn't fooled by their false behavior and they were killed.

E. How can Krishna help? 1. Always be aware of Krishna's presence in our heart. Remember

He is witnessing our actions.

2. Be conscientious to try to do the right thing. If our actions are for the right reason, we won't feel that we have to lie.

3. I f you are tempted to lie, be strong and tell the truth. Usually the result is never as bad as we thought it may be.:

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Check for Understanding

1. What did the Bakasura demon look like?

2. How did Krishna kill Bakasura?

3. What is the best truth to tell people about? Why?

4. Write down one or two sentences that you could say ifyou were in a situation that made it h.ard for you to tell the truth.

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Lesson 2

Killing Aghasnra

A. The Story Every morning in the village of Vrindavan, Krishna blew

His buffalo hom to gather all His friends together. There were thousands of cowherd boys who cared for thousands of calves.

Always happy, the boys played many games. Sometimes one boy would steal another's lunch and the boys would pass the lunch to each other so he couldn't get it back. Some of the boys caught the tails of the young monkeys hanging in the trees. Others climbed up the trees with them, making faces at them or jumping from branch to branch. Some of them played their flutes or blew their bugles made of buffalo horns. Some followed the swans, and some ran after the shadows of the birds. Some splashed in the water and imitated the frogs. Thus they spent their days in the forest of Vrindavan.

One. day while Krishna and His friends were enjoying themselves in the forest, a mighty and terrible demon named Agha watched them. He hated to see them having so much fun. He decided to kill Krishna and all His friends. This demon was so terrible that even the residents of heaven were afraid of him.

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~ny' demon sister, Putana, and my detnon brother, Baka! No'W' I'll kill l-1is friends and the calves, too. With the children dead, all the people of Vindavan will die at' grief!"

~rhen the terrible delTIOn Agha grew longer and longer until he \vas eight Iniles long. He stretched his mouth \-\/ider and \vider until it \vas as wide as a mountain cave. His sharp teeth appeared Iike peaks on that mountain, and his hot tongue arpeared like a broad road. His eyes blazed fire. Agha decided to s\vallow Krishna and the boys all at once. So he sat on the

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patl, and waited.

When the boys first saw the demon, they thought he was a statLle. They began to talk among themselves.

"What is this?" said one boy. "It appears to be a huge animal. He looks like he wants to swallow us all!"

. "Isn't it a big snake that has opened his mouth wide just to eat us'?" said another.

A third boy said, "His breath is a fierce hot wind, and the tishy bad smell from his mouth is the smell of his intestines. But he can't swallow us all at once. Even if he did, Krishna would kill him."

And so, unafraid, they marched fight into the mouth of the demon. Agha swallowed them up all at once. He still sat on the .., path waiting for Krishna.

. .For a moment, Krishna felt very sad. His friends were lYing In the belly of a great serpent! "How will I save them?" He won?ered. Then Krishna entered Agha's mouth. All the demIgods were watching and became very worried.

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Once inside the demon's throat, Krishna grew bigger and bigger. Agha choked, thrashed about, and his big eyes moved violently. His life-air burst from a hole in the top of his head and waited in the sky. It was like a dazzling light that spread evety\vhere.

Inside Agha's belly, Krishna found His friends unconscious. With His mystic glance, He brought them all to life. Then they marched right out of the demon's mouth.

Suddenly, Agha's glittering spirit soul merged into the body of Krishna. The demigods became ovenvhelmed with joy. They showered flowers on Krishna. They danced and beat drums and sang songs. "Jaya! Jaya! All glories to Krishna!"

The gigantic, fierce mouth of the demon stayed open for many -days. Slowly his body dried up and the cowherd boys used it for a playground.

B. What Agha represents The Aghasura demon represents cruelty to others,

violence, and causing trouble for others.

C. Cruelty Cruelty means a deliberate attempt to hurt someone. We

can hurt someone in different ways. We can hurt him with our bodies -- physically hitting or kicking or somehow causing pain. We can hurt someone with our words -- saying mean things, making fun or teasing in a cruel way. Actually, this can be more painful than being hit or kicked. We can also hurt someone by thinking cruel thoughts about him. By thinking this way, we will disrespect him or dislike him and probably will not treat him nicely.

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A devotee knows that everyone is a part of Krishna and Krishna is in everyone's heart. We should treat everyone with respect, remembering that they are a spirit soul -- not just the body that we are seeing. Krishna created everyone and everyone is dear to Him. Even if we don't like someone, that person is still dear to Krishna. We don't have the right to be cruel to him. A devotee will treat friend or enemy equally.

Does that mean that we only have to treat human beings nicely? No. All living entities have souls. All living entities are part and parcel of Krishna and our soul is no greater or less than that of an animal or plant. Therefore, they should all be treated kindly. That is one reason meat-eating is bad.

One of the qualities of a devotee IS compaSSIon. Compassion means feeling very sorry upon seeing another's suffering. Being compassionate, a devotee would never want to be the cause of anyone's suffering.

Describe one time when someone was cruel to you. What did they do to you? How did you feel?

D. Duryodhana: A Picture ofCruelty The five Pandavas had an evil cousin named Duryodhana.

He was the son of the blind king, Dasaratha. Duryodhana was very jealous of the Pandavas, especially Bhima, and this caused

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him to act in very cruel \\/ays. His constant meditation \A/as on killing Shima and his brothers.

One tilne Duryodhana fed Shima some poison cakes. \\/hen Bh irna became unconcious due to the poison~ Duryodhana tied his hands and feet and threw hill1 in a lake to drow'n.

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Another time Duryodhana constructed a house made of lac, a very flammable material. He made this house purposefully for the Pandavas, and when it was finished, he invited them to live .., there. His plan was to set the house on fire and bum them up.

Duryodhana also cheated the Pandavas out of land that was rightfully theirs. Because of his cruelty and cheating, the Pandavas were forced to fight with him and therefore the Battle ot' Kurukshetra took place.

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E. Ending All Suffering Do you remember the meaning of compassion? A

compassionate person doesn't like to see others suffer. In the material world everyone is suffering somewhat. Due to our past karma, some people have to suffer more that others; but evervone suffers birth, death, old age and disease. The kindest act we can perform for someone is to tell them about Krishna. Krishna is always so kind to His devotees. He is helping them become free from the cruel net of Maya (illusion) so that they can go back home to the spiritual world. Only by learning about Krishna can we get out of this material world and return to the spiritual world. There, the suffering will end forever.

If we have the knowledge that tells us how to end all suffering and we don't share that knowledge with others, that is also a ·form of .cruelty. Let's show our compassion by telling whoever we can about Krishna.

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Check for Understanding

1. What did Aghasura look like and how did he try to kill Krishna?

2. Give three examples of cruelty to another person. a.

b.

c.

3. How can you help others end their suffering?

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Lesson 3 Killing Vyomasura

.4. TIle Story' Late one mom ing, Krishna

\\cnt to play \'iith His cowherd t)()~'frlends on the top of ( J()\/~lrdtlana Hill. They' \Aiere r)r~tclld ing to be th ieves and rot icernen. Some of the boys llccame pol ice constables, some L1ecame th ieves, and some took the role of little lambs. While they \vere enjoyi ng their fun pastimes, a demon known as Vyomasura, "the demon who tlies in the sky," appeared on the scene. He was the son of another great demon named Mava. These demons could.;

rerfOrlTI wonderful magic. .

Vyomasura took the part of a cowherd boy playing as a thief and stole many boys who were playing the parts of lambs. One after another, he took away almost all the boys and put them in the caves of the mountain and sealed the mouths of the caves with stones.

Krishna could understand the trick the demon was playing. He caught hold of Vyomasura just like a lion catches hold of a lamb. The demon tried to expand himself like a hill to escape arrest, but Krishna wouldn't let him get away. He was ilnmediately thro\Vn on the ground with great force and killed.

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Atter killing the Vyolna demon, Lord Krishna released all

II is friends from the caves of the Inountain. He was then praised hy' His friends and by the demigods tor these \vondertul acts. He returned to Vrindavan \vith His CO\v's and friends.

B. What Vyonlasura represents... The Vy'OtnaSLlra demon represents the need for us to stay

~l\Vay from thieves and cheaters.

c. Bad Ass(}ciation OLlr behavior and our spiritual life are influenced very much

hy the cOlllpany we keep. If we are good friends with people \VilO are not of good character we will pick up some of their bad habits. And if we spend time with nice saintly people, we will develop their good qualities.

Have you ever had the experience of being with your friend when he was in a grumpy mood? After awhile you

. probably felt grumpy, too. And if you're around someone bright and cheerful, you are likely to be in a good mood. In the same way, the best way for us to improve ourselves is by associating \vith people who have very good qualities.

D. How can Krishna help? 1. Always try to associate with Krishna's devotees.

2 When times are difficult, take shelter of the Lord by chanting .., His holy name.

3. By reading books about Krishna and His devotees we can better remelnber what good qualities are and what the purpose of~ life IS.

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4. Have a parent, teacher or an adult you trust that y()U can confide in or talk to. Tell thel11 if someOlle is trying to influence you in a had way.

~ Pray' t() Krishna that you lnay be strong and Krishna conscious s() that )'()ll Ina)' also have good qualities and make go()d choices.

A. [)()n ~ t spend ti me \vi th people \V'ho have bad habits or (1 Llal ities like taking drugs, drinking, or \\t'ho are cruel.

E. Stealing Stealing and cheating are two more undesirable qualities

\ve must rid ourselves of if we want to become pure. Stealing is a form of dishonesty. Krishna owns everything and whatever we have is given to us by Krishna. We should only take what is our share. He will provide whatever we need: it is not necessary to steal. It is said that we should view another's belongings as garbage in the street. Who would ever consider taking, or even t()uching, garbage? Likewise, we shouldn't even cO'nsider taking someone else's property.

What do you think? What would you do if you found a gold watch and you

knew who lost it'?

What about a person who is very poor and steals food to teed his family? Is that wrong?

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What could you do it you did steal something, but later regretted it?

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A Poem about a Thief Once there was a tricky thief

who rode upon a train, Thinking with much guilt and grief

"I will not steal again."

"Men who ride this train have wealth," the thief thought, with a sigh,

"But I must control myself; I shall not steal and lie."

Sunset came, their bags he eyed; the good men fell asleep.

Opening each he looked inside; Then he began to weep.

"I don't want to steaL" cried he, "Oh min<L you're not my friend!

youve always been my enemy. You'll be my bitter end!

"rn beg Krishna's holy name to help me win this fight.

O~ wild min<L you shall be tame<L if I must chant all night! II

Morning came and' all the men woke up and looked around.

"Who's the thief?" they shouted then. Their bags could not be found.

IfGentlemen," the thiefbegan, "allow me to explain.

There is a thief: a sinful man, and he's the one to blame.

"All he took was just a look. Your bags got switched around.

He's become a saintly crook. Your things are safe and sound.

"Armed with Krishna's holy name, I fought the thief all night.

This morning I don't feel the same. I think I won the fight. "

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F. How can Krishna help? 1. Let's memorize a verse from the Sri Isopanishad that will

remind us that we should only take our share.

isavasyam idam sarvam yat kincaJ"agatyam jagat lena tyaktena bhunJ"itha

mad grdhah kasya svid dhanam

Translation: Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things necessary for himself: which are set aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong.

2. Offer your food to Krishna. By doing this we please Him and we remind ourselves that He gave us everything. Whatever we have should be offered to Krishna for His enjoyment.

G. Cheating In our own behavior we must not cheat others. Our

dealings with everyone, friend or enemy, should be truthful and straightforward. We must also be careful not to be cheated ourselves. Especially in our spiritual life, we must be careful not to be fooled by someone who claims to be a great devotee but is preaching the wrong philosophy. A "religious" cheater can ....

actually lead us away from Krishna. This is another reason we must learn the scriptures well -- so we don't get cheated.

It seems that a lot of people are cheated these days. People are following many religions that do not teach the truth. Why do you think this is so?

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2. Take advice and shelter from a spiritual master or a devotee.

3. Again, have an adult you can talk to if you feel that someone is taking advantage of you.

4. Don't become friends with people whom you know are not honest. If you know they lie to other people, how can you be sure they won't lie to you?

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Someti mes~ if follo\vi ng the truth

rneans that y'OU hav'e to giv'e up something dear to y'OU or live a bit

llnCOln fortably'~ you In ight prefer to ~u.:cept something tllat )/OU kno\v is not

true. It inay' SeelTI easier. In this 'v\!ay~

people lnay' \'/ant to be cheated. Then thc\' don't ha'le to Inake any. ~

LlrlCOlnf<Jrtable changes in their lives.

E'v'en if \v'e are not cheating or

steal ing ourselves, \v'e must give up the associati()n ot'" people who do. We In igllt th ink that it is all right to have friends who have these faults as long as \Ve are not like that. But the power ot' association is very strong. We run a big risk by being too friendly with people who are not honest. They cannot be trusted and their bad behavior will only ·affect us negatively.

H. How can Krishna help? I. Follow Krishna's instructions in Bhagavad Gita.

His teachings, you won't be misled by a cheater.

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Afv1 GelD I. VJO~5H PJ

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Check for Understanding

1. How did the Vyomasura demon try to fool Krishna?

2. How did Krishna kill Vyomasura?

3. What does Vyomasura represent?

4. Why should you give up the association of those who cheat or steal?

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Lesson 4 Killing the Keshi Demon

A. The Story Once Kamsa sent his demon friend Keshi to kill Krishna.

Keshi took the form of a terrible horse and entered Vrindavana. His great mane flew and his hooves dug up the earth. His tail wheeled in the sky like a big cloud. He began to whinny and terrify everyone.

Krishna knew why the demon had come. He stood in front of Keshi and called him to fight. Roaring like a lion, Keshi ran at Krishna and tried to trample Him. The horse's legs were as strong and as hard as stone. Krishna caught one of Keshi's legs and tripped him.

In a moment Krishna picked up the great horse and threw him. one. hundred yards away, just as Garuda throws a snake. With great anger the horse again rushed at Krishna, this time with his mouth wide open.

As soon as Keshi reached Him, Krishna pushed His left hand inside Keshi's mouth. "This hand feels like a hot iron rod!" thought the Keshi demon. Immediately, Keshi's teeth fell out.

As Krishna's hand got bigger and bigger in Keshi's throat, Keshi began to choke. His eyes popped out and the giant horse passed stool and urine. Keshi then dropped dead on the ground.

Krishna was not surprised that He had killed the demon, but the demigods were amazed. From the heavens,. flowers showered down upon Krishna, for the demigods were pleased that the Lord had killed the Keshi demon so easily.

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B. What Keshi represents The Keshi demon represents pride ansmg from wealth or material accomplishments.

c. Pride Pride means to have too high of an opinion of yourself.

Pride makes you think you are very important and better than everyone else. It can cause us to mistreat and disrespect others. But we must remember that we are very tiny spirit souls. Our soul is only 1/10,000 the size of a tip of a hair. That is not very significant. And we are not the masters of anything. Krishna is the only master and we are His servants. A servant may possess a valuable item but it is only because of the mercy of his master. Similarly, any quality or talent we have came from Krishna; therefore, the credit goes to Him, not us.

People are. proud of many things. Wealth, beauty, education, intelligence and strength are a few of the things that people take great pride in. But who awarded these opulences? They were given to us by Krishna due to our past karma and we don't necessarily possess these riches permanently. They can be gone in a flash!

Beauty can be ruined by one car accident or by a disease. A financial disaster can strip us of wealth. Old age and senility can take away our intelligence. And one illness can rob us of all our strength.

You all know what a great warrior Arjuna was. No one could defeat him in battle. After Krishna had left this world, Arjuna was bringing Krishna's wives back to Dwarka. A band of cowherd men was able to overpower the great Arjuna and steal Krishna's wives! How could that happen? How could such a strong ksatriya be defeated by some insignificant cowherd men? Arjuna realized that his power came from Krishna and

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now that Krishna was no longer present, his abilities were gone. He knew that his talents and capabilities were only "borrowed".

Materialistic people are always trying to increase their pride. They may strive for a better car, a better house, more money, a strong beautiful body and take great pride in these things.

But a devotee strives for humility. Humility means not being anxious to be honored by others. He realizes that he is the servant of the servant of the servant of Krishna. He is very proud of Krishna and his guru, but he is not falsely proud of himself. He realizes that his successes are gifts from the Lord. If the gifts are not used correctly, they become a burden and he becomes falsely proud.

Lord Chaitanya has written a verse describing humility in His Siksastaka prayers. Let's memorize this verse

trnad api sunicena taror .api sahisnuna amanena manadena kirtanaya sada hari

Translation: One should chant the holy names of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than a straw in the street, more tolerant than a tree and devoid of all sense of false prestige. In such a state of mind one can chant the Holy Name of the Lord constantly.

D. "Spiritual Pride" As we progress in spiritual life, pride may still enter in if

we're not careful. If we think, "Oh, I am such a wonderful devotee! Look at all the service I'm doing! I chant more than anyone else in the temple," that is not ·proper. The more spiritually advanced a person becomes, the more he shows his

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true humility. He is anx.ious to serve others and doesn't want to be glorified and served himself

The following is a story of a man who was very proud of his material knowledge and accomplishments. How valuable v'las his knowledge?

E. The Boatman and the Scholar Once upon a time, near the bank of the Ganges, there lived

a simple boatman. He lived in a small hut with his wife, and his daily job was to ferry people across the river.

A professor from Oxford University, namely Professor Crammit Nogginston, needed to cross the river. He was carting a large box of heavy books with him. Professor Nogginston asked the boatman to take him to the other side.

. The professor was quite proud of himself and his achievements and he was a bit offended to· find out that the boatman had never heard of him. "Aahh, what can you expect from these ignorant village people?" he thought. "They lead such backward lives, never really learning anything of much importance. "

As they were crossing the Ganges, a school of fish swam by. Professor Nogginston became very excited, shouting, "Look, look! Oh, my gosh! It's a ..."

"It's a school offish, sir," the boatman said calmly.

"No! No! Not just a school of fish! I'll have you know that those are Squaliformes Elasmobranchii, an extremely rare species. I studied ichthyology, you know. Tell me, how extensive is your knowledge of ichthyology?" asked the professor.

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The boatman looked puzzled and said, "Ichthy what, sir? I'm not quite sure I've ever heard of that. "

Professor Nogginston couldn't believe that this boatman didn't know about ichthyology. "\Vhat?" he cried, astounded. "You really are a dodo, aren't you? All your life you've never even studied ichthyology. \Vhy, you've wasted 250/0 of your life! 250/o!!"

They continued across the river, the boatman guiding the boat and humming a soft tune. The professor continued muttering to himself and every now and then you could hear, "...no intelligence.....simply disgraceful.....wasting his life.... "

A small flock of birds flew above them and immediately the professor noticed them. He leaped to his feet, rocking the boat and shouted, "Look! Up there! My goodness, I think those are... " While he' was gazing up at the birds, something plopped into his eye. Professor Nogginston removed it and joyously exclaimed, "Bird stool! Yes, of course. I can 'tell from the aroma of their feces that those are the Procellariformes Chiroptera, commonly known as the Blue-Bellied Booby Bird, . a rare species indeed. I studied orinthyology, you know. I suppose you haven't studied orinthyology either, have you?" he asked the boatman.

"No, SIT. I can't remember hearing about that subject either. "

Disgustedly, the professor replied, "Never even heard of it? You should be asham.ed of yourself1 \\!hat have you been doing all your life? \\!hy, you've wasted at least 500/0 of your life. 500/o!!"

As they drifted on across the river, Professor Nogginston observed a large, rocky hill on the shore. He puffed on his pipe for a moment and then pointed out the hill to the boatman. "Look at that mountain over there. What a marvelous mass of rock! It must be from the Cam.bium Period." The boatman agreed that it was indeed very beautiful.

The professor said, "I think it belongs to the igneous category. I studied geology, you know. I suppose you've never studied geology, have you?"

"No, 1haven't," ans'Yered the boatman.

"Such a shallow life!" thundered the professor. "I think you have wasted at least 75% ofyour life. At least 75%!"

The boatman kept up his steady rowing. He soon began to notice that the waves were coming a little faster, splashing up against the sides of the boat. The wind began to pick up a bit, changing from a balmy breeze to a gusty, energetic wind.

The boatman remarked, "Ub, oh. It looks like a storm is brewing!"

"At least you know something," the professor said sarcastically. "But to be exact, that is a cumulo-nimbus cloud. 1 know because I've studied meteorology." Noticing the changing

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-- -

weather he became a little worried and urged the boatman to row faster. But the strong winds pushed the waves over the sides of the boat and the boat began to sink lower in the water.

It soon became obvious that the boat was taking on more and more water. The boatman saw that there was also a leak. Professor Nogginston was frantically trying to bale out the "later, using his pipe as a pail. Try as he might, he couldn't empty the water from the boat and it began to slowly sink.

"It's no use!" the boatman cried. "We'll have to swim for shore!" The boatman readied himself and leaped into the water. As he jumped he rocked the boat and the professor lost his balance and fell out backwards. The swift current of the river carried the two men apart.

,I

t

\ c=:================~c ----)

The professor cried, "Help! Save me! Help! I can't ... "

"You can't swim?" shouted the boatman.

"No...glub, glub....I never learned to swim!! ...glub..."

"Never learned to swim?" the boatman cried. "My dear professor, it looks like 100% ofyour life has been wasted!"

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In this story we can see how proud the professor was of his knowledge. But his knowledge couldn't help him save his own life. Similarly, we may be so proud of our material knowledge but, at the time of death, that knowledge will not save us. Material knowledge will not help us get out of the cycle of repeated birth and death. Only devotional service can do that.

F. How can Krishna help? 1. Remember that without the grace of Krishna we could do

nothing. Our talents are very temporary.

2. Always look for the good qualities in others. It will help us appreciate them and curb our own pride.

3. If someone is correcting you, listen humbly and be honest with yourself Are they right? Can you improve in some way?

4. Whatever talent or ability Krishna has given you, try to use it to please Him in some way. For example, if you are good at crafts, you can make some jewelry for the Deities. If you like to sing, you can learn some songs that sing the glories of Krishna.

Check for Understanding

1. What did Kesi look like and how did Krishna kill him?

2. Why shouldn't we be proud of our wealth or learning?

3. How should we chant the Holy Name of the Lord? How are we thinking of ourselves? (Check the verse translation for the answer.)

4. What sort of knowledge is more important than what we learn in school or college? Why?

5. What is something that you are good at? How could that be used for Krishna?

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Lesson 5

Swallowing the Forest Fire

A. The Story 9It was a beautiful, bright, sunny day in Vrindavan.

Balarama had just killed a great demon in the forest and Krishna and His friends were playing happily. As they played, they did not see the cows wandering off into the woods. Even the goats and buffalos wandered out of sight.

Upon noticing that the cows were gone, the boys began to search for them. They traced out the cows' footprints and followed the path of eaten grass.

Soon they heard the cows crying pitifully nearby. A great fire, its flames devouring the whole forest, was threatening to engulf ~em! Fanned by strong, gusty winds, the fearful flames of the fire increased and surrounded both the boys and the cows. They all shouted, "Dear Krishna and Balarama, we are burning from the heat of this blazing fire. Let us take shelter of Your lotus feet. We are Your dear friends. Please protect us!"

Krishna knew very well that there was no need to be afraid. As the cowherd boys closed their eyes out of fear, Krishna swallowed up all the flames of the forest fire, just as a young boy would swallow a gulp ofwater.

When the boys opened their eyes again, they saw that they were again with Krishna. The boys secretly thought that Krishna must not be an ordinary boy, for what He ~d was certainly not ordinary. They concluded that He must be a demigod.

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Atter saving the bo~'s and CO\VS fr()ln the deadly forest tire~

Krishna and His co\vherd b()y'friends ph.ly'ed their tllites \v'hile returning to the village ofVrindavan.

B. fl/Ilat ti,e fire represents In this pastime of extinguishing the forest tire., the fire

represents hatred and argull1ents. It also represents disrespecti ng other rei igions.

c. Hiltred Hatred usually comes from envy. Perhaps we really may

be jealous of a person and that jealousy convinces us that we really don't like him. We want to feel that we are better than him. So we look for all kinds of faults or reasons to dislike him. This feeling stems from our material desire of' wanting to be the Lord, or the Supreme.

Hatred results from thinking we are the body. We forget that we are souls and we forget that others are also souls. If we are remembering that we are all equal spirit souls and that we are all part of Krishna, we won't hate anyone. If we love Krishna, we will love all of His creation.

D. False ego Our "ego" is our self. It is who we are. Our "false ego" is

always trying to tell us that we are our body. Since we are our body, life is meant for our enjoyment. We like to think that we are always right, that our ideas are the best and that we are the most wonderful person in the world. That is what our false ego tnakes us bel ieve. It is called "false ego" because it leads us to believe sOlnething that is not true. Our "real ego" tells us that we

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we are spirit souls meant to serve Krishna. We must constantly remind ourselves to remember our real ego and act as a servant of Krishna. A servant of God will always act in a way to please Krishna.

You can imagine what will happen if millions of people, acting on their false egos, are running around thinking they are the Supreme! There would be many arguments and a lot of fighting. This is what we are seeing in the world today.

E. Fighting and Arguing Practically everyone is anxious to argue their opinion and

try to prove they are right. But many arguments are about very silly things. There is a saying, "It is better to lose an argument than to lose a friend."

One of the qualities of a devotee is that he is a friend to all. True friends want the best for each other. The best "friendly" action we can show is to direct someone to Krishna. By putting aside our personal fe~lings of jealousy, hatred, and disagreements, and by helping each other serve Krishna, we show ourselves as true friends. We can cooperate together to please Krishna. This attitude is very much appreciated by Krishna.

We are not so concerned with defending ourselves. "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me." Ifsomeone insults us or calls us names it is really not so important. We are not the body, we are the spirit soul. The insults they are heaping on us are only directed at our body. They have nothing to do with the real us -- the soul.

So we try to remain very tolerant. But ifwe see a devotee of Krishna being offended, we will stick up for him. We do not want to see the Lord's devotees being insulted.

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In this regard there is the story of Jagai and Madhai from the Caitanya Caritamrta.

F. Jagai and Madhai Jagai and Madhai were two very wicked men living when

f1 Lord Caitanya performed His pastimes on Earth. They were dnmkards, murderers, and very viscious demons.

One day Lord Nityananda came to visit them, trying to get them to chant the Holy Name of Krishna. They were drunk and began shouting and swearing and calling Lord Nityananda all sorts of bad names. Madhai was so mean that he picked up a pot and threw it at Lord Nityananda and cut His forehead. Did Lord Nityananda become angry and fight back? No, He did not.

--------:::- " - ; ------ ­

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\\!hen Lord Caitanya heard that His devotee was harmed, He immediately came to the scene to punish Madhai. He lifted His hand towards the sky and called for His Sudarsana cakra, ready' to attack and end the life of the evil Madhai. But Lord Nityananda, out of great compassion, stopped Him. He convinced Lord Caitanya that rather than kill Madhai, He should extend His mercy to him and give him a chance for devotional servIce.

Similarly, if we hear someone saying untrue or offensive things about Krishna, we should speak up. We are not afraid to fight. But we must fight for the right cause--Krishna.

G. Tolerance and Respect . Another quality of a devotee is that he is very tolerant of

others. Tolerance means that you respect another's beliefs. So, rather than argue or fight with someone, or rather than feeling hatred, we should be tolerant. If someone disagrees with us, we should listen to what he has to say without becoming angry. He may have some very good ideas and we may learn something.

It is also important that we respect other religions. A true , religion will teach one to love God. All authorized religions can help their sincere followers progress in spiritual life. Krishna Consciousness is unique because it allows us to perform devotional service and teaches many details about how and why we serve Krishna. We believe that Krishna Consciousness gives the highest knowledge, but at the same time we recognize the worth of all the true religions and are respectful. We encourage others to become good followers of their own religion so they can also be purified.

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Check for lJnderstanding

I. What does the forest tire represent in this p<lstitne?

-, \\;Thllt d()es Ollr "false ego" tell us?

3. 'N'hat is our rea) ego?

4. Normally we don't worry too ITIuch about defending ourselves. When is it actually good to defend someone?

Lesson 6

The Deliverance of Manigriva and Nalakuvara

A. The Story Manigriva and Nalakuvara were two great demigods who

were the sons of Kuvera, the treasurer of the demigods. They were very rich but became addicted to wine and women.

Once, they entered the garden of Lord Siva, where they drank too much and were listening to the sweet singing of the beautiful women who came with them. They became intoxicated and entered the water, which was full of lotus flowers, and were enjoying the company of the young girls.

While they were enjoying themselves in the water, all of a sudden Narada Muni, the great sage, happened to pass that way. Manigriva and Nalakuvera were so intoxicated that they didn't even see him passing by, but the young girls became embarrassed and tried to cover themselves.

Because of their drunkenness, the two demigods remained practically naked before Narada. This sort of behavior is very degrading. Narada Muni was disgusted with their shameful actions. He wanted them to stop their false enjoyment of wine and women and wanted them to see Lord Krishna face to face. So, out of compassion, he cursed them. He thought that it would be best for them to be put in a condition where they had no wealth since they had misused their wealth so much by committing sinful activities.

Narada Muni decided that the best punishment for them was for them to become trees. Then they can do no harm. But by his mercy, they would be able to remember why they were being punished. They would remain as trees for 100 years in the

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time of the demigods. Manigriva and Nalakuvara were growing as trees in the courtyard of Nanda Maharaja, Krishna's father for a long time.

One time, many thousands of years later, Krishna was crawling through His courtyard dragging a wooden grinding mortar that had been tied to His waist. He squeezed behveen the trees but the large wooden mortar got stuck in the middle. Lord Krishna began to pull the rope which was tied to the mortar and the trees, with all their branches and limbs, fell down with a huge, crashing sound. Out of the broken, fallen trees came the hvo great demigods, shining like blazing fire. The two purified brothers came before Krishna and bowed down to offer their respects and prayers. In this way, Manigriva and Nalakuvara were released from their curse and were able to personally see Krishna.

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B. What the pastime of Manigriva and Nalakuvara represents

This pastime involving the sons of Kuvera represents pride coming from a good birth and wealth. From this, cruelty to animals arise and indulgence in alcohol or drugs (intoxication). \\!hen one gets intoxicated, he loses his self-control and becomes hardhearted. He may act in very shameless, violent and disgraceful ways.

c. Misuse of Wealth and Intelligence A person is given a good birth because of his past good

karma. He may be born into a rich family or a brahman family. In that situation, he would have the opportunity to use his wealth properly (by taking time to serve Krishna and by spreading Krishna Consciousness). But he may misuse his wealth by using it for drinking, drugs, or other bad habits.

Give some examples ofhow people can misuse money.

D. Intoxication When someone becomes intoxicated from drugs or

alcohol, he loses his sense of discrimination. Discrimination means to have the good intelligence to determine what is right and what is wrong. Intoxication will also cause one to lose control of his senses. With uncontrolled senses and no intelligence, you can imagine how much trouble someone could get into!

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II

These sons of Kuvera were demigods but were so unconscious due to being drunk that they were practically naked and didn't even notice. They were not even ashamed. Intoxication can make anyone act in very foolish ways.

Because one has lost his intelligence, intoxication can also cause one to become very cruel and hardhearted. Many of today's crimes are committed while the criminal· is under the influence of drugs or alcohol. People have committed unbelievable activities while intoxicated which they deeply regretted when they became sober again.

D. Cruelty to Animals We learned from the pastime of Aghasura that cruelty to

others is a behavior we must get rid of In this pastime, cruelty to animals is directly stated as an unwanted quality. We've already explained why all living things should be respected and never harmed. This is also why devotees are vegetarians. The less we harm others, the better. We can live very healthily on vegetables, milk products, and grains, so it is unnecessarily cruel to kill animals for food.

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Even the small creatures should be respected. Flies, spiders, ants, worms, or any other beings should not be killed. Krishna gave them life and we don't have the authority to take it away. We receive karma for causing pain even to the insects.

Sometimes we may find an insect in our room and we don't particularly want it there. Our first thought may be, "Step on it!! Squash it!! ft But it would be much better to carefully remove it alive--and place it outside where it can live peacefully. Next time that happens, think first. Don't harm anything or anyone unnecessarily.

E. How can Krishna help? 1. Remember that everything is to be used for Krishna. Ifwe start

thinking that things are only for us to enjoy, we will misuse them and become selfish.

2. Never let anyone talk you into taking alcoholic drinks or drugs. Don't make the same mistake they did. If someone is trying to convince you to try intoxication, be sure to tell a parent or a teacher. It is illegal and dangerous.

3. Show your love for Krishna by treating all of His creation with kindness.

The following is a story \vhich appears in the Caitanya Caritamrta about a cruel hunter \\/ho turned intl) a c()lnpassionate

de\'otee.

F. ~/rg{lri ti,e Hunter ()Ilce upon a tilne the great sage Narada went to bathe in

the river. While passing throught the torest~ he sa\v that a deer \vas ly'ing on the path~ pierced by an arrow. It had broken legs and \\/as t\v'isting due to Inuch pain. Farth~r ahead~ Narada saw a tloar pierced by an arro\v. Its legs were also broken~ and it was t\visting in pain. When he went farther, he sa'v\/ a rahbit that was also sut1ering and he was greatly pained at heart to see living entities sutler so.

As he went on, he saw a hunter behind a tree, holding arrows and ready to kill more animals. He appeared very ferocious with a blackish body and fierce red eyes.

Narada Muni approached the hunter, hoping to ask him a question. "I was wondering \\!hether all the boars and other anitnals that are half-killed belong to you. I' When the hunter replied that this was true, Narada then inquired, "Why didn't you kill the an imals completely? Why did you half-kill them by piercing their bodies 'with arrows?"

The hunter replied, "My dear saintly person, my name is Mrgari, enemy of animals. My father taught me to kill them this way. I love to see the half-killed animals suffer!"

Narada Muni then told the hunter, "I want to beg of you one thing. I beg you that from this day on you will kill animals completely and not leave them half-dead." Mrgari couldn't understand what was so bad about this. Narada explained, "If you leave the animals half-dead, you are purposefully giving them pain. Therefore you will have to suffer in return. I know your business is killing aniInals and that is a slight offense on your part. But when you give them unnecessary pain by leaving them half-dead, you are committing avery great sin. All the aniInals that you have killed will kill you one after t;he other in your next life and in life after life."

Upon hearing this, the cruel hunter became a bit afraid. He said, "Ever since I was a small boy I have been taught this business. How can I become free from the millions of sins I

. have performed?" Mrgari wanted to be free from the offenses and surrendered to Narada~ waiting for his instructions.

Narada advised the hunter, "Break your bow, return to your home and distribute whatever riches you have to the pure brahmans. You and your wife should leave home, go to the river and build a small hut. In front of your hut, grow a tulasi tree, worship her and continuously chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra." Narada then miraculously brought the half­killed animals back to life.

The hunter returned home and followed exactly the instructions of his spiritual master. The news that Mrgari had become a Vaisnava spread all over the village.

One day Narada Muni invited his friend, Parvata Muni to go with him to see his disciple the hunter. When they neared

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hLlnter's place, Mrgari could see theln and he excitedly ran to\V'ards h is spiritual master. But he couJd not faJ I down and

()ffer obeisances because ants were running around his teet. He didn't \vant to hLlrt them. Seeing the ants~ he first \vhisked theln G\'v'ay' \\/ith his cloth and then bowed dow'n~ offering his respects.

Narada Muni was very pleased to see his actions and said, "My' dear hunter, such behavior is not at all astonishing. A man in dev'otiona) service is automatically n()nviolent. He is the best of gentlemen. Good qualities like nonviolence, which you have developed, are not very astonishing, for those engaged in the Lord's devotional service are never want to give pain to others."

This story shows two things. It shows that by chanting the holy name of Krishna even a cruel person can develop the qualities of" compassion and kindness. [t also shows us how powerful tIle association of a devotee is. Simply by associating vv'itn Narada Muni, Mrgari was able to change his ways.

Check for Understanding

1. What sinful actions did Manigriva and Nalakuvara commit that caused Narada Muni to curse them?

2. How were they freed from their curse?

3. Why should we be kind to animals? Do we have to be kind to plants, too? Why or why not?

5. Find a newspaper article or a magazine article that tells about someone committing a crime or doing somethjng wrong while they were intoxicated. Your parents can help you find one. Bring it to class next week so we can all read it.

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